I went through the online application for a bank account. I was asked to visit a local branch to verify my ID and residence address. It said that for the former a driver's license would suffice, whereas for the latter a tenancy agreement from a letting agency would work. After waiting for a considerable time, I've been told that noone at the branch recognizes my lettings agency. My letting agency is not even a mile away. I was adviced to go to another branch or to make a doctor's appointment, where a doctor could confirm my address (using my tenancy agreement as proof of address himself..). I tried various times to contact another branch about 20min by bike away, but noone picked up the phone. When I arrived there they told me that my tenancy agreement was fine, but they wouldn't accept my driver's license as ID, because it doesn't have an expiry date on it. Also, on my tenancy agreement the district was mentioned. On the online application that field was optional, so I left it out. Because of this, I had to redo the whole online application. Now I am back at the branch and even though it says nowhere that an appointment is necessary, they ask me to wait for 45mins until someone with the authority becomes available.
tl:dr: Although it should be just a formality to open a bank account after the online application, the Lloyd's Bank knows how to waste your whole day, making up problems and regulations that where previously never mentioned.
Reviewed on: 26th October 2018
